Paying off debts (Koopaling x FEM!reader)

Coming Home

A month goes by in a blur.

A lot happened in that time. There's so much that I don't even know if I can list it all. I was sent out to guard a different castle again, but thankfully, I didn't have any unfortunate run-ins with that Mario guy this time. However, whatever the plan was, it failed because we were forced to retreat. A bummer, but nothing new for Bowser's plans. Mario can be a real nuisance when he wants to be. His stupid, green brother, too.

In terms of my job, I got promoted again. I get to actually guard the inside of the castle, which is neat. It also means a nice boost to my paycheck, which means more money for my family. Speaking of, my family's doing a lot better now. They're still scraping by, but they're not nearly as close to shutting down as they were before, especially with that burger joint closing due to health code violations.

Of course, my work wasn't done. It probably wouldn't be done for a while, but it was nice to see all of my hard work paying off. I'd even say I was enjoying it quite a bit, especially now that I have friends.

Oh yeah, the koopalings. Nothing really changed much with them. I told Iggy to stop searching for who made the bracelet, and I started talking to Wendy more. That's about all in terms of big, major changes with them. Iggy, of course, poked and prodded at me, asking why I didn't want to know anymore. I never answered, but that hasn't stopped him from asking every chance he gets. He's starting to wear me down some, admittedly.

But I'll thankfully have a break from all the nagging because my break is coming up soon. Due to laws and regulations, every soldier gets at least a few week long break to see their families. It rotates, so there's always an abundance of soldiers around still, but this coming week is the start of my troops' break.

I'm thrilled, to say the very least. I can't wait to see my family again after so long, but that, of course, means saying goodbye to my friends for a little while. I'm not too torn about it. I mean, they can handle themselves. That doesn't mean that I won't miss them just a little, though.

I look at my packed bags. I didn't bring a lot with me to the troop. In fact, I brought little to nothing at all. I could see other members of my troop still packing, while I had only a small little bag for myself.

I guess I could use this time to say my goodbyes. I leave early in the morning tomorrow, after all. I'm sure they'd appreciate a goodbye at a more reasonable time of day. After putting my bag under my cot, I strolled out into the castle's courtyard.

Much to my surprise, a group of nervously smiling faces was already waiting there for me. Larry, Iggy, and Lemmy all grinned sheepishly at me. I smiled back a bit nervously, a bit shocked that they were here.

"So. . ." Larry began. "We heard you were going on a little vacation."

"Uh- Yeah." I tilted my head. "I was actually gonna come say my goodbyes to you guys before I went away."

"Well!" Iggy grinned widely. "Well! Well! Well! I'm really happy that you get a break! You deserve it!" He patted my back. "But you still have yet to tell me who made that little thingy on your wrist."

"Wh-!" I'm taken aback, as my eyes dart to the other two. "Did you tell them?"

"Yuppers!" Lemmy said, bouncing up and down on his ball. "Told us everything! We didn't make it, obviously, but we really wanna know! Like. . . Really, REALLY wanna know! I've seen you fiddle with that thing, and I've always wondered where that came from."

Darn. Guess I wasn't as slick as I thought I was.

Larry grinned. "Was it Ludwig? That guy's definitely the sap to pull something like that."